Lucknow, Apr 22 (PTI) Parking across Uttar Pradesh is set for a major overhaul, with the development of smart zones featuring FASTag integration, electric vehicle (EV) charging points, and handheld Point of Sale (POS) devices, the state government said Tuesday.

Acting on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's directives, the Urban Development Department has drafted a comprehensive plan to modernize parking systems across major cities, aiming to enhance public convenience and improve traffic management, it said.

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"Preparations are underway to equip parking locations with a suite of modern technologies. Alongside FASTag compatibility for seamless payment, plans include the installation of EV charging points to cater to the growing number of electric vehicles," the UP government said in the statement.

It added that other planned features include automated ticket dispensers, CCTV cameras for security and monitoring, digital signage for information display, boom barriers for controlled access, and handheld POS devices for flexible payment options.

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"These upgrades will significantly enhance transparency in parking operations. The integration of technologies like FASTag and automated systems is expected to provide users with faster entry and exit, eliminating the need to wait in queues," it added.

Under the new plan, on-street parking will become costlier, especially during peak hours -- 9 am to noon and 5 pm? to 8 pm -- and on weekends. Final decisions on rates and timings will be made by the Parking Management Committee, it said.

A strict action plan has been formulated to tackle unauthorized parking.

Smart systems will be mandatory at all parking sites, old and new, with clear markings for designated areas, it said.

Violators will face strict penalties and encroachments will be promptly removed. The new smart parking system aims to ease parking and reduce urban traffic congestion, it added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)